CHEESE CAKE FOR THE SOUL
While I refuse to let staying home and being more sedentary than usual play havoc with my fitness and nutrition goals, I will, on occasion, eat cake. It's for work, right?
So let me tell you: The Burnt Cheese Cake ($70 for a whole cake, above), available for delivery by Lolla in Ann Siang Road, is worth every calorie.
Versions of Basque-style cheese cakes are everywhere in restaurants. Now, with the pivot to takeaways and deliveries while Singapore strives to break the coronavirus circuit, you can indulge shamelessly at home. Where nobody is watching - or judging - how big a slice you cut for yourself.
Lolla's version could be less sweet, but it ticks all the right boxes. Burnished top: Check. Creamy filling: Check. An oozing centre: Check, check, check.
The 750g cake is made with cream and Spanish idiazabal cheeses. It is shamelessly rich and will serve at least six. Birthdays and special occasions go on regardless of viruses, so order one of these when in the mood to celebrate with family or enjoy in isolation. It makes a fitting end to a takeaway meal from the restaurant.
Mine begins with sourdough bread ($8) with umami-laden Kombu Butter ($3) and a thick smear of Duck Rillettes ($18).
I move on to grilled Iberico Pork Collar ($28), beautifully pink in the middle with a fierce char on the outside. I am transported instantly to a beach barbecue.
My obligatory fibre is Sauteed Kale ($15), tender and garlicky. The portions serve two - or one very hungry person.
I know I am being super indulgent, but I cannot resist Doughnuts With Lemon Curd ($17), the fritters so very light, the curd a perfect balance of sweet and tart.
There are many more goodies on the menu I've enjoyed before and which will travel well: Soft Egg With Chorizo Sausage ($21), Lamb Rack ($31) and Beef Tongue Escalope ($26). Lolla will also deliver wine. Go to its Facebook page for the full takeaway and delivery menu.
But it is the Burnt Cheese Cake that haunts my dreams - and the restaurant's signature squid ink and sea urchin pudding. Please make that available for circuit breakers?
WHERE: Lolla, 22 Ann Siang Road MRT: Chinatown OPEN: 11.30am to 9.30pm daily ORDERING INFO: Call 6423-1228 or 8591-8651 from 11am to order. If picking up, order one hour in advance. If opting for delivery, order two hours in advance; there is a $17 islandwide delivery fee INFO: facebook.com/lollasingapore
BOUNTIFUL BUNS
What separates pro food handlers from amateurs? Breathtaking speed.
At BaoTianXia, one of many food kiosks on the ground floor of People's Park Complex, at the MRT station exit, blink and you miss all the action.
The woman who takes my order for Meat Bun ($3.50, left) moves like greased lightning. She grabs a bun - it may or may not already be split, she moves too fast for me to be certain - then stuffs it with strips of pork belly braised in soya sauce, piles julienned cucumber and fresh coriander leaves on top, then adds more pork.
Then she does this amazing move - she twists the bag shut while simultaneously smooshing the bun deeper into the bag. She hands it to me. I am slack-jawed.
When I recover, I am holding a hot bun in a plastic bag. Somehow, there is orange chilli oil on the bun, a little lick of heat. The pork is melting soft, the cucumber adds crunch and the coriander leaves make the whole thing sing.
There is so much of everything - bun, meat, greenery - and I am overwhelmed. And so very delighted. I'll have just one more bite.
WHERE: BaoTianXia, People's Park Complex, 1 Park Road MRT: Chinatown OPEN: 9.30am to 9.40pm daily
KID-FRIENDLY PASTA
Walking through supermarkets is interesting these days. While looking for tinned tomatoes or pasta sauce in jars for an upcoming story I'm working on, I'm startled to find that both are sold out in the supermarket I'm in. So is every last packet of pasta.
If the kids are clamouring for comfort food, order it from Summer Hill in Sunset Way. It has three kid-friendly pasta dishes for takeaway or delivery.
Pomodoro ($16) is straightforward pasta with a red sauce and will please most finicky eaters, perhaps even kids who will eat only pasta with ketchup. This is better by far.
Cheeseburger Pasta ($22) is Rococo in comparison. There is ground beef, onion, garlic and paprika, cooked together and stirred through a tomato and cheese sauce. It is topped with chopped onions and gherkins, and tastes just like a cheeseburger.
But my favourite emanates pure comfort. Mushroom & Bacon Alfredo ($22, above) in a creamy sauce is just the thing at the end of a day of hibernation. It is belly-warming and makes me smile. I just want a little chopped parsley tossed through the pasta, though many kids will likely have conniptions over this.
The French bistro has other customer favourites available for either takeaway or delivery: roast chicken ($32), Wagyu Boeuf Bourguignon ($130, serves two), Roasted Batalle Pork Collar ($42) with a creamy mustard sauce, and Foie Gras, Truffle & Chicken Pot Pie ($32). I have tried them all, except for the pie, and they are worth ordering.
Summer Hill also has DIY Eats kits for those who don't mind doing some prep work to finish off dinner at home. These come in family-sized portions. There are dishes such as Whole Roast Chicken ($45), Roasted Batalle Pork Collar ($120) and Beef Prime Rib ($180).
WHERE: Summer Hill, 01-62, Block 106 Clementi Street 12 MRT: Clementi OPEN: Noon to 3pm, 5.30 to 10pm (Tuesdays to Sundays), closed on Mondays ORDERING INFO: Call or WhatsApp 6251-5337 to order for pick-up or delivery; delivery orders should be made at least two hours in advance and charges are based on distance
